HEART is selected to receive funding from Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Charlotte

January 28, 2014

Eleven Years of Ivy League Giving

Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Charlotte through the Management Development Program to Donate $50K To Local Charities

January 14, 2014 Charlotte, NC – At 6 p.m., Thursday, January 30, 2014, the Harvard Business School (HBS) Alumni Club of Charlotte will celebrate their eleventh Management Development Program and reveal the names of local non-profit agencies slated to receive a portion of the program’s $50,000 surplus.

By way of history, HBS Club of Charlotte’s MDP program utilizes volunteers from their own alumni base to teach a 13 week Management Development Program – a mini-MBA program based on Harvard’s famous case study method – for mid and high level executives throughout the Carolinas.

The executive education program has become popular with over 120 local corporations, including Bank of America, Coca Cola Bottling, Duke Energy, Electric Guard Dog, Snyders-Lance and Wells Fargo. Electric Guard Dog CEO Jack DeMao commented, “Well worth the time and money involved. My CFO had to drive 90 minutes each way to attend, yet he immediately saw the value. Many of the cases he studied have already had direct applicability in managing our high growth business. His growth as an executive those 13 weeks was greater than other programs we have paid 10 times as much for. We will continue to send executives to this program in the future.”

Students were no less enthusiastic. “Different discussion leaders allowed us to see different perspectives on broader topics like leadership style, culture, finance, etc.” commented Chris Baisey, a Senior Operations Manager at Red Ventures. Duke Energy Communications Manager Jennifer Zajac echoed, “The takeaways from this course included knowing your values, seeking first to understand, and the importance of taking risks.”

But the MDP celebration is not just a night of executive emulation; it’s also a night of giving. The club uses the company-sponsored tuition to promote and fund homeless shelters, crisis assistance, and help for abused and neglected children here in the Charlotte area. The club’s 11 years of giving totals over $350,000.

“Activism in the community is a Harvard tradition, and this club’s membership is particularly keen on upholding that tradition,” HBS member and MDP Chair Bill Berry commented. “The charities here in the Charlotte region are exceptional. Everyone at the Harvard Business Club of Charlotte has a favorite they want to help and if they teach, they get a vote in which charities will receive monies. As a result, we’re never short of volunteer teachers.”

Out of numerous charities nominated by MDP instructors, there will be 14 non-profits who will receive a cash award. Representatives from the winning charities will receive their award at the January 30th event, which will be held at The Whitehead Manor Conference Center, 5801 Sardis Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210.

A club’s activism is never successful without support. Bill Berry also thanked the sponsorship of The Center for Intentional Leadership, McGuireWoods, LLP and McColl School of Business – Queens University of Charlotte.

For more information, or if you’d like to attend the celebration and learn more about attending the MDP course or sponsoring someone to attend the MDP, please contact Grace Hayes at 704-366-2835 or via email at hayesgb@earthlink.net. Find us on the web at http://www.hbscharlotte.com.